With Tears Comes Joy
by People Person I'm Not
Summary: Set during WWI. As for the story, well, read and find out! :
1. Caroline

**A.N. This is set in Manhattan in 1918. As a historical note, this is during WWI. America entered the war in 1917, so this is a country at war. Enjoy! -Pippin.**

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><p>The girl sat in the kitchen of the small four-room apartment, waiting. Waiting for her uncles, but also from any news from her parents—both were off to war, her mother as a nurse, her father as a soldier.<p>

Caroline Kelly was a fouteen-year-old girl with deep, soulful blue eyes and her father's dirty blond hair. People who didn't know her assumed she was more like her mother, Sarah-a soft-spoken creature who mostly fought behind the scenes. But those who did know her knew she took after her firey-tempered father heart and soul.

Caroline brushed her hair out of her face. Mostly it was past her shoulders, but she had shorter side pieces that brushed her chin and always got in her eyes.

A knock on the door made her jump. She went to open it, and beamed at the sight of her two uncles, Dave and Les.

"any news from Jack or Sarah?" aked Les, a handsome 28-year-old young man,

"No, I ain't heard nothin' recently from Momma or Poppa," Caroline replied sadly. "So, what amazin' place we off to today?"

"A reunion, of sorts," Dave said. "A bunch of us who worked together-the strikers. God knows they're going to miss your poppa, though. he was our leader. So, are you ready? We're going to Tibby's. It's where we ate as newsies."

Caroline scrawled something on a piece of paper, and held it up for her uncles to see: "Letters or telegrams to Caroline Kelly at Tibby's Diner."

Caroline, Dave, and Les walked slowly though Manhattan. When they arrived at the diner they stood outside for a moment, watching the mess of men, women, and children inside.

"David and Les!" A tall blonde man with a patch over one eye appeared in front of the trio. He pulled at Dave and Les, leading them away from Caroline. David shot Caroline an apologetic glance over one shoulder as he was led away.

Caroline stood alone for a moment. Then she muttered, "Ready or not, here I come," pushed open the doors, and walked inside.


	2. Reunions and News

**A.N. I do not own Newsies :( In fact, I only own a) Caroline, and b) the idea. Enjoy anyway. Also, thank you SO MUCH to those who reviewed since I posted this, yeah, like 24 hours ago :) I appreciate it. Pippin**

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><p>The first thing Caroline noticed was the sheer amount of people. Clearly this was a family event, as she saw men and women, and also children ranging in age from early teens to babes-in-arms, many of them roaming around and getting underfoot.<p>

Caroline stood quietly in a corner until a scrawny brown-haired man noticed her and limped over with the help of a pair of crutches.

"Hiya, young lady. I'm Crutchy. And you?"

"Caroline." At that moment she decided not to tell anyone who her father was. Jack had been both extremely popular and their leader, and she didn't want to have to answer painful questions about him.

Several hours passed, with the room filling up with smoke from the cigars and cigarettes being smoked, and some of the men-many of them former Brooklyn newsies-getting themselves drunk.

The room immediately quieted when a man wearing a Western Union uniform entered. Too many of them knew people away at war, loved ones they worried about.

"I have news about the Kelly family."

A gasp went up. Everyone had adored Jack, so they didn't want him to be hurt.

"Go on," Dave ordered.

"Sarah Kelly was killed in her duties."

People flocked around Dave and Les, comforting them. Caroline, in a corner, her face white, was ignored. Sure, no one knew that that was her mother, but not even her uncles could get to her.

The telegram man shouted above the room's noise. "And Jack Kelly is missing, presumed dead."

Everyone froze. Caroline sank to the floor, her face buried in her hands. Her uncles slipped out of the mess of people surrounding them and crouched beside her.

Les hugged her close, and she buried her face in his chest. Dave put his arms around both of them. Caroline's shoulders shook with tears.

"What with the goil?" one of the former newsies shouted.

Caroline extracted herself from the human sandwich of her and her uncles, and stood on shaky legs.

"I wasn't gonna tell ya, to keep my own spirits up, but, well, Jack Kelly is my poppa. Sarah is...was...my momma.

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><p><strong>OK, I have nothing against Sarah. I just killed her for the sake of the story. Don't come after me because of it. Hey, I married her to Jack. Give me credit for that, at least.<strong>

**Please please PLEASE review. They make me so happy :) Pippin**


	3. Letters and Papes

**A.N. So with this story I was basically like, "Oh, it's not been that long...oh, it's not been that long...oh, it's not been that long...OH CRAP IT'S BEEN OVER A YEAR!" I'm really sorry. And yes, this chapter is really short. yes, it basically sucks. It's a filler chapter, and, while necessary, isn't that great. So...yeah.**

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><p>With Caroline's declaration, a plan was made. They were going to find out what had happened to Jack. There were letters to be written, papers to be read, research to be done. They newsies were going to bring Jack Kelly home, dead or alive.<p>

Caroline's task was to write a letter telling who she was and asking for news, and then to send it to military bases worldwide. Dave did the same.

Les traveled to some of the same places Caroline's and Dave's letters were going.

Racetrack, Kid Blink, and their families scoured the papes—the war articles—for any mentions of Jack.

Crutchy talked to important military personnel in the city.

Mush and Spot asked other soldiers about Jack, and if they knew what had happened to him.

They all worked on it tirelessly. This was their new strike—something to cling to, something worth making it through the day for. And Caroline was at the center, just as her father had been in the strike.


	4. Homecoming

**A.N. Last chapter! I'm not planning on doing a sequel, so what you see is what you get. Enjoy!**

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><p>Caroline sat with those who had been most instrumental in trying to help find her father in the same diner where all this had started. They were all on one side of the table, her on the other.<p>

"It's been nearly six months," Caroline said. "We've had _nothing_. I got polite letters saying basically 'no, we ain't seen your poppa; now please let us deal with the important bits of this war.' Well, not that exact. But they mean that."

"It's been the same for me and Dave," Les reported. "Even when I actually visited them in person, it was the same message."

The others nodded.

The bell over the door jangled. In walked a man who was, at everyone's guess, living on the streets. He was tall and gaunt, pale skin stretched over his skeletal frame. His hair was long and matted, and the color of dirt. A beard and mustache grew thick, obscuring his features. "Fe..." he whispered, looking at the table.

The group at said table barely spared him a glance as they continued discussing their search for Jack Kelly.

The tramp laid his hand on Caroline's shoulder. "Fe," he repeated, more loudly this time.

"Leave her _alone_," Spot ordered. "She's a perfectly respectable lass, and we plan on keepin' it that way."

The tramp backed off a foot or so. Caroline's eyes were glued to his face.

"Caroline, ignore him," Dave said. "He's only an old tramp who wants things from you that are by no means appropriate for a young girl to be doing. Now turn back around-we need your input."

Instead of listening to her uncle, Caroline turned her whole chair around to face the man who had called her Fe. her brow furrowed as she searched his face.

Her eyes grew huge and she mouthed a word. The man dipped his head in acknowledgement.

Caroline screamed and launched herself at the man. "Poppa! Poppapoppapoppa_poppa_!" She threw her arms around him in a hug.

"Jack?" Spot asked, incredulous.

"Seeing your own wife killed and being a prisoner of war does things to a fellow," Jack said.

"But you called Caroline, your _daughter_, Fe, instead of her name," Dave said with understandable confusion.

"It's his special name for me," Caroline explained. "Poppa, I'm so glad you're home."

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><p><strong>A.N. And that's that. Sorry for the vaguely sucky ending.<strong>


End file.
